As the cover states, “Millennials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents.” Without a critical curiosity, you may read the article and think, “Wow, this generation really is the worst yet.” Unfortunately, vitriolic articles are commonplace about Millennials and the effects will likely damage us all.

Them vs. Us

The consequence of overindulgent, everlasting news outlets is that they simplify and repeat. With 24-hour, cyclical news, it’s often filtered for mass audiences. The consequences result in Them versus Us debate. Stories are painted in black and white – watered down for easy consumption.

Millennials likely have very little different from the parents and predecessors. Even though rapid social change has occurred, the generations are largely the same. Regrettably, media outlets continue their onslaught – wrong as they may be.

Damaging Disqualification

Here’s the cold, hard data: The incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s now 65 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health (Source)

Time Magazine would like you to believe that they’re only dealing in facts – no opinion, assumption, or personal perspective. They cite an article from the NIH that suggests, when compared to those 65 or older, Millennials are three times more likely to suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This severe psychological disorder brings with it heavy consequences. NPD sufferers often have a lack of empathy, arrogance, need lots of attention, and preoccupied with thoughts and fantasies regarding success and others’ admiration.

There’s nothing flippant about this disorder. Despite popular culture and media interest, narcissism in a psychological sense is terrifying. Yet, the author of this Time article throws it around. And yet, a verysmall minority of the population actually has narcissism.

Unfortunately, this is poorly understood and disrespectfully used in the context. In these studies that compare narcissism over time, it’s important to realize that they’re are longitudinally-based; meaning, you’re getting a section in time. By analyzing rates of NPD across generations in this single subset of time, you risk missing the bigger picture: increased rates of “narcissism” (I’d say, selfish) at this time of life (to an extent). Secondarily, that people lose this selfishness and self-centeredness as they age. This would require a latitudinal (over time) study with a consistent psychological definition of narcissism (which rarely happens, as the DSM gets updated every decade or so).

Economic Upheaval

The report says nearly every group is worse off than four years ago, except for those 65 to 74. Some groups have experienced larger-than-average declines, including blacks, young and upper-middle-aged people and the unemployed. (Source)

Vast economic upheaval has left this generation feeling abandoned by political powers and past generations. Rising unemployment, staggering student loan debt, and lessening social mobility all confluence together into a torrential problem for everyone. By writing these caustic articles, Time Magazine and media outlets like them are downplaying these significant social issues. If anything, “Generation Me” is asking to be remembered before this country abandons them.

In a recent Rolling Stone article on the crisis of student loan debt, Matt Taibbi takes aim at this $1.2 trillion problem. Rather than blaming individuals for suffering the crushing burden of out-of-control student loans, he takes jabs at a system that has failed lower and middle-income populations. Students of the millennial generation suffer through the most onerous tuition fees and rising costs amidst state tax revenue shortages.

Frankly, the majority of us don’t have time to sit around and bask in our reflections, as Time’s article suggests. This generation is struggling to make ends meet. The economic distress of our time is changing the minds of our youth. We are a tougher group, and we’re fighting tooth and nail to change our situation. And as we hope and work for a better future, media outlets criticize these efforts – labeling them as narcissistic and lazy.

We must move away from pejorative labeling and accept a more peaceful acceptance of other generations. Many came before us and many will follow. Why create such demons in those to come? Everybody should be saving and contributing to a better future.

Related

Comments

The “Millenials” aren’t any more “narcissists” than the baby boomers are ignorant entitled fossils from a bygone age that cant accept their increasing irrelevance and imminent death. I’d say to all Millenials – **** the baby boomers. Unless they come up with life extension technologies and affordable rejuvenation treatments, in which case they might be around for a few decades longer.

Actually – Millenials are ******. They have been recruited to pay for the world’s biggest deficit and debt. So if some geriatric baby boomer ****** calls you names, bear in mind the ******** don’t want you to be uppity. They want you to cough up THEIR social security and not show them any attitude.

The “Millenials” can’t be held accountable for the Medicare prescription drug benefit, the two wars of aggression and the ongoing drone terror campaign, the dot com bubble, or the housing bubble.

The “Millenials” can’t be held responsible for a century of carbon emissions and oil spills, or the other twisted capitalist policies that have created global warming.

The “Millenials” can’t be held responsible for the creation of an Israeli apartheid state, the stockpiling of nuclear weapons, or the policy of replacing democratically elected leaders with military dictatorships.

We are not responsible for the state of the economy, the state of the environment, or the warlike state of human affairs.

Dear TIME, please let us know what we should do differently, to prevent the other 80% of mindless voting-age Americans who came before us and who have created all of the world’s problems.

If there is one thing I accuse “millennials” of, it is being cowardly. If I were a “millennial”, knowing what I know now, I would be organizing, joining unions, becoming an activist and do whatever I can.

It’s the media doing what they do. What percentage of people were hippies? Yet we associate the youth of the late 60s with that movement. I’m of the “slacker” generation, but very few of the people I knew actually met the media description of that generation.

It is a media disease that dates back to the Witch Hunts and probably well before that. Seems to originate from the Middle East but it is common in all of humanity.

* Some people in society loosely formulate a set of characteristics they don’t like in some influential minority and exaggerate them
* a Pogrom is formed dealing with these “undesirables” and the influence they have on popular culture.
* People die.